My Soul Keeper (16 page)

“My guardian? What were you guarding me from when you were with Jacob?” I snap. Her words are completely absurd. She drops her gaze to the grass.

“I’m sorry about that, but he isn’t who you are destined for. I needed to end things.”

I step back. My stomach rolls and I feel like I want to be sick again but my stomach is empty.

“Who am I destined for, then?” I ask in a shaky voice. I watch her look to Lucas and I inhale deep. I feel faint. They’re all crazy. Or maybe I am. Maybe I’ve lost my mind.

“You belong with me.” Lucas’s deep voice penetrates the air around us. He offers his hand to me.

“No,” Shamar shouts. “They’re lying, Simone. He is a dark soul and
she
is a liar.”

I don’t know who to believe. A chill creeps into the air, along with a musky scent. And then there is sorrow, it’s overwhelming, creeping into my skin, making me want to weep.

“I was looking for Gabrielle but I guess we have a party.” A man with dark hair and blue eyes steps from the shadows. He looks like Shamar; it’s confirmed when Shamar calls him Dad.

“Your son is interfering with my Destined. I already told you, yet he continues,” Gabrielle tells the man, annoyed. Sadness grips me as he walks closer.
Cold. I feel so cold.

“Who do you think you’re talking to, little girl? I would watch my tone if I was you - or I’ll rip your soul from your body and keep it with me for fun.” He sounds deadly and she withers under his glare. She casts her eyes to Lucas; he shakes his head no, and then turns his eyes to me.

“Simone, you belong with me. I’ll be waiting for you.”

With that, he’s gone, just vanished.

“Hello,” Shamar’s father says to me. I step back, wary.

“You need not fear me, girl. I know your mother. You look just like her.”

He smiles like he’s reliving a fond memory, but I know he’s lying. I look nothing like my mom. He must notice my confusion.

“I’m sorry. I meant your real mother.”

Shamar grips his father’s shoulder. “She doesn’t know.”

“Know what?”

“Don’t listen to them,” Gabrielle says. “Come with me.”

“You really are brave, Gabrielle,” the man snaps. “I think we should go somewhere and talk.” He walks toward her and grips her wrist. “Take care of her, Shamar. She is precious. I’ll bring you what I pull from this one.”

Gabrielle is scared, her eyes growing wide. She shakes her head back and forth.

“Wait, don’t hurt her,” I stutter. He laughs.

“Sweet Simone, you have your mother’s compassion. Fear not, this one likes the hurt.” They vanish, just like Lucas.

I stumble backwards, tripping on my own feet. Shamar grabs my arm just before I hit the grass.

“Please don’t be frightened of me,” he says. My whole body is shaking. I see the fear in his eyes, fear of me rejecting him. Despite everything, I still feel a need to be near him despite the distance I wanted earlier

“I don’t understand what’s happening. Please tell me who you are, who I am.” I feel like everything’s spinning; panic, confusion weighing me down. My head feels light. Then, nothing.

I catch her as her body goes limp. She’s passed out now that the shock has caught up with her. I hold her close and take her home. Once she’s safe in her bed, I go to Liam and ask him to spend the night watching over her. I need to tend to charges and go to see Chamuel.

Before I get a chance to go do this my father’s pull calls to me so I go to him. He’s alone at an accident on the motorway, collecting souls.

“Shamar, did you take care of Simone?”

I nod. “She’s sleeping.”

“The dark soul you speak of was the one on the field with us?”

I nod.

“He is more than
a
dark soul. He is the leader of all the dark souls.”

Ice floods my veins. “You mean Lucifer?” I ask, but already I fear I’m correct.

“He has many names.”

“Did Gabrielle tell you this?”

He laughs. “I don’t need her to tell me and if he knows of Simone’s light, which I’m guessing he does, then he will stop at nothing to have her.”

My insides vibrate with anger, and fear of losing her. “I need to protect her. He can’t have her.”

“I will find out what he wants with her from Gabrielle and call for you when I know more.”

I leave him and go straight to her father, who’s pacing in a golden room full of books.

“Don’t speak,” he tells me as I walk toward him. He gestures around the room, then points to his ear, as if to tell me people are listening. I let out a frustrated sigh. I’m conflicted with my emotions. Not being able to speak openly in heaven for fear of who I can trust is unsettling. There is nothing I can get from him if I cannot speak freely so I leave to find Maliki walking the beach.

“I called for you,” he tells me as I approach.

“I was in Heaven, sorry.”

He shakes his head. “No need for apologies, my friend. It’s fake. The Destined. She was never a Destined. Gabrielle is rogue. I need to inform Michael, but I wanted to wait for you. They will want to take her. She belongs to them if she’s an Angel.”

“It’s more complicated than that. I need time. Please don’t do anything yet.”

He seems torn as he paces the shoreline. “Gabrielle is a traitor and brings great dishonour to all Guardians. She needs to be taken care of. She could mess with real destinies, Shamar.”

“She is being held by my father while I seek answers.”

“I don’t like this but I trust you. So I will leave this to you… for now.” He emphasizes the
for now
as a warning I need to act quickly.

I appear in Simone's room; she’s in the same position as when I left her. Liam is sleeping on the floor next to her bed. I watch over her as the sun kisses the horizon, warming the room with its golden glow.

“Shamar, I can feel you here.”

I realize I’m not in solid form as Simone rises and talks into the room. I appear in front of her, causing her to startle, placing her hand over her rapid beat in her heart.

“I don’t think I will get used to that.” She smiles her beautiful smile at me and my heart flutters. I still can’t believe how affected I am by her.

Liam yawns and stretches his body, which clicks. “Man, your floor sucks,” he moans, making Simone laugh.

“So why did you stay here? You’ve never stayed before. What’s happening?”

“I have known you since you were only a year old,” Liam says. “I have been watching over you for your father.” She shakes her head. “I know this sounds crazy but please hear me out. You’re special, Simone. Your parents are special.”

“You don’t mean them, do you?” She points in the direction of her parents’ room.

“No, they raised you but they’re not your real parents.”

She bolts from the room and we follow her to a bookshelf on the landing. She opens an album and flicks through pictures.

“They have brown eyes. All of them. Oh God, who am I?”

“Come back to your room.” Liam tells her.

She walks slowly and sits on her bed.

“Your father and mother fell in love, but it was forbidden. He sent her here to protect you both.”

“I don’t understand.”

I tap Liam on the shoulder, making him move over. I bend down and place myself front of Simone. Taking her hands, I look into her deep blue eyes.

“Your father and mother are different, like me and Liam. They’re not human, Simone. They're Angels.”

Her breathing accelerates. “You’re Angels?”

“No. I’m a keeper of souls.”

Her brow furrows. “What does that mean?”

“It means I keep souls to transfer them to their vessels and take them back when their time in their vessel is up.”

“Like Death? Or the Grim Reaper?” Her voice reaches a high pitch I’ve never heard from her before. I exhale hard.

“No, not really. My father is Death, as you call him, and I have some of his abilities, but I’m different. I keep young souls that have limited time. My souls are used mainly to sculpt destiny’s paths, as sorrow can motivate people to do some amazing things or change them from a path that is the wrong one. Sometimes pregnancy happens by mistake. Those vessels don’t have a path on earth, so my souls are used, as they won’t grow up.” I look to her, trying to grasp if she understands what I’m getting at. She pulls back and stands.

“What did Gabrielle mean when she said you came for Junior?” She’s shaking her head no as she speaks and I drop my eyes from hers. I feel sick. In all the mayhem, I had temporarily forgotten that I needed to take back Junior’s soul.

“I won’t let you,” she shouts before I even confirm her suspicions

“Gabrielle is a Guardian and she lied about you being a Destined. I don’t know why she wanted one of my souls. I don’t know what her plan for you was, but it’s too late. Junior’s soul is only an eight week soul.”

She rushes from the room. “I won’t let you take him. I’ll never forgive you, Shamar. I won’t let you,” she screams as she descends the stairs. Her mom darts into the hallway.

“What’s going on? Simone, you will wake Junior.” Her mom meets my eyes. “Who are you?”

She looks between me and Simone and I see fear. “Are you here for her?” Her voice breaks as she grabs Simone and puts her behind her.

“No,” I tell her simply. She gulps and her head drops.

“He’s here for Junior,” Simone tells her.

Her head snaps up and her face contorts. “What? What do you mean?”

“Mom, you know who I am, don’t you?” Simone murmurs. “Tell me,” she demands.

Her mother pales, pain etching her features.

“I couldn’t have children. I wanted a baby so, so bad. So when your dad brought you home, he told me I could keep you and I didn’t ask questions. You were so perfect, beautiful. You never cried, you never got sick. I knew things weren’t right, but I loved you,” she sobs. “Your father spent more time away. He changed, became distant. When I questioned him and the time he spent away, he told me it was the price of him giving me you. He had to work off the debt.”

“That doesn’t make sense,” Liam says.

“Don’t touch me,” Simone tells me as I try to comfort her. My heart breaks as I watch the betrayal in her eyes. “You’re a liar.”

I shake my head but the anger flares in her eyes.

“You used me to take away my brother.” Her voice is almost a whisper. I feel her sorrow, her pain, her heartbreak pouring from her.

“That’s not true. I was brought here to give life to your brother’s vessel, but when I saw you, my heart felt alive for the first time. I felt alive. You breathed life into my veins. I never knew I was capable of feeling any kind of warmth, peace, until you. Your kindness, beauty, the touch of your skin, the feel of your lips… they awakened my soul. I couldn’t stay away from you. You changed me; you made me feel love, Simone. I’ve never felt a connection to anyone until you and I’m terrified to lose you. Please try to understand.”

“So you’re not going to take him?” she asks and my hope shatters.

“My souls can’t stay longer than their time or they become stuck in a catatonic state. Or worse, they lose their light, becoming dark souls.”

Her mom rushes past us and takes Junior into her arms. “You won’t take him from me.”

“He is due a place in Heaven. He is not meant to be here. Please try to understand.”

“Simone, go to your mother.” A voice speaks from the front room.

“Dad?”

“I won’t let you take him from us. Lucas has taken more than enough from us,” he reveals.

“Where did you come from? How do you know Lucas?” Simone asks, but he doesn’t answer. He ushers her mom from the house and into their car.

“Please come with us, Simone,” he asks, but Liam puts his hand on her arm to stop her from moving.

“Don’t.”

Her father doesn’t wait any longer; he gets into the car and pulls away, taking her mom and brother with him.

“We need answers. I’m going to see Lucas,” I tell them.

“Why Lucas? Who is he?” Simone asks.

Leah pulls into the drive.

“What are you both doing here again? Liam, you didn’t call me back yesterday.” She puts her hand up to his face to halt him from answering. “I’m too mad to hear you speak. Hottie mall guy, you can answer.”

“You know my name, Leah.”

“Just answer the question. You all have been acting weird since yesterday and I want to know why, and was that your dad, Simone? Where are they going in such a hurry? Is the world ending or some shit and you guys have inside knowledge. I’ve seen the movies, how the strong band together, survival of the fittest in more ways than one I notice.” She cocks a perfectly shaped brow. “So, what is it? Meteors, what?”

If things weren’t so dire right now, I would be grinning ear to ear from this human. Her mind and tirades amuse me so much.

Liam steps towards her. “Leah, calm down. Come here.”

“Don’t touch me, Liam. I’m mad at you.”

“Leah, what’s wrong with you?” Simone asks her in a soft gentle voice.

“Me? You’re the one who's acting weird, and why is Liam here again? Oh my God, did he even leave? Are you screwing him as well now? You want everyone,” she shouts at Simone, making her flinch.

“Leah!” Liam shouts. She’s acting completely out of character.

“What’s gotten into you?”